In the world of Children’s Ministry the ability to have music incorporated into a Sunday morning program is more often than not the responsibility of the Children’s Pastor or Coordinator at a local church. In our humanness as leaders we quickly identify our areas of greatest weakness. For me personally I admit it’s my musical giftedness. See quite frankly I don’t believe I am musically gifted at all – I can’t sing and I don’t play any instruments – and even my attempts at an instrument in elementary school were rather poor. When I began leading the Children’s Ministry at my last church I was quickly aware of my inability to lead the children in music. What I learned throughout my time in leadership though was that first and foremost God did not care about how well I could sing but instead, whether or not I sang at all. Secondly I learned that there were a lot of resources available to use to that would aid me in making worship a meaningful experience for my kids. It is because of my lack of musical gifting that I am always looking to see what other churches and communities do for their time of worship and what fun and engaging resources or strategies they have stumbled upon. Recently I tuned into a Webinar hosted by Sparkhouse on “Music in Sunday School” and found the hosts, Deb Hetherington and Erin Gibbons, engaging and full of fun and creative ideas for incorporating music into your morning. My notes from the Webinar are below and I hope as you scroll through you find some valuable points that help re-shape your view of the role of music within your ministry and empower you to lead despite your personal belief in your musical ability – because the reality is our Heavenly Father simply loves to hear his children sing.

Webinar Notes:

• Opening Poll Question: What is your favourite Sunday School Song?
• How often do you use Music in your Sunday Morning?
  • Most people use music every week or at least once per month
  • Others admitted to using music only seasonally or rarely if not never
• In many contexts music happening in a kids program can be dependent on who is leading and what their comfort level is while leading
• The reality is that God created all our bodies with internal instruments
• There are many references to singing in the bible
  • Exodus 15:19-21 “When Pharaoh’s horses, chariots and horsemen went into the sea, the Lord brought the waters of the sea back over them, but the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground. Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron’s sister, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women followed her, with timbrels and dancing. Miriam sang to them ‘Sing to the Lord for he is highly exalted”
  • Other references to singing can be found in the book of Psalms, Isaiah, Acts and Revelation
• One of the biggest questions that come from many leaders is “What if I or my Sunday School volunteers can’t sing or are uncomfortable singing?”
  • You do not need a perfect voice – you need a desire and vision to include music in your kids program and a willingness to have fun with your kids
  • You need to trust that the musical gifting God has given you is good enough
• When it comes to what we remember and how:
  • We remember 10% of what we read
  • We remember 20% of what we hear
  • We remember 30% of what we see and hear
  • We remember 70% of what we say and write
  • We remember 90% of what we do
  • Music is a tool that we can use to help kids remember different things like books of the bible, memory verses etc.
• Music is a way we live out our faith
  • Music is prayer, lament, a way we greet each other, it helps us share the gospel and teaches us about God’s love for us
  • Music can be helpful for kids and adults who are intimidated by the language of praise and thanks
  • Music evokes feelings and helps us to tap into emotional and experiential memory
  • Words can sometimes be foreign to kids but they can understand the music and the feelings it evokes

How can you use Music throughout your morning?

• Welcome (the beginning)
  • Use music in a fun way, invite kids to move their bodies
• Bible story
  • Use Music in the transition (before and after reading the bible)
  • You can also use piggy back songs during this time – these songs are songs that have a familiar melody but have new words
• Play or Game Time
  • Use music to support these activities
• Craft or Create Time
  • You can play background music or get your team to create something for you to use or perhaps download a playlist
  • If you are wanting to introduce your kids to a new song (or songs) use them first as background music so the kids become familiar with the melody and words
• Congregational Worship
  • Carve out time in you morning to actually just sings songs together with your kids
  • For your young preschoolers consider using musical instruments or scarves or ribbons they can interact with during that music time
  • For your kids in Grades 1-5 use actions or sign language to get them engaged in worship

We want to introduce kids to a wide variety of ways that they can engage in worship and music is one of those ways that will transform the life of a child. Be willing to try something new, find new music and new resources and take the time to intentionally map out a plan for incorporating music on a Sunday Morning. If you’re looking for more ideas on how to integrate music into your Children’s Ministry you can check out more resources on our Facebook Page or our Pinterest Page.